


Hawk Dog

by J_P_Lupine



Series: Haikyuu!! Fics [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Bad Puns, Don't copy to another site, Dorks in Love, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Karasuno, Low-Key Badass, Mood Swings, Oblivious Bokuto Koutarou, Volleyball, dense, goofballs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2020-07-08 22:14:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19876918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_P_Lupine/pseuds/J_P_Lupine
Summary: Takachi can find the easiest way to do something just to get out of doing a lot of work. She doesn't move around much, only walking when she has to- running or jogging were signs of the apocalypse with this girl. She rarely ever speaks and the only thing she is really seen doing most of the time is reading manga or staring off into space. Even though Takachi is mostly seen this way, she's got another side that she represses due to its....awkwardness. She had a strange upbringing that caused her certain psychological anomalies during development and certain things can trigger this other side of hers to appear. Also, she's a certain coach's younger cousin and she's stuck staying with him while attending Karasuno.





	1. Transition

The only place I really felt comfortable being in was inside my own head. My imagination ran wild, my thoughts were going thousands of miles per second, and I could think of absolutely anything without anyone else knowing. So, whenever I discovered manga, I instantly fell in love since I could experience these stories that were so beautifully drawn out while imagining myself as the main character going on all these quests and journeys.  
Mentally, I was wild and all over the place while sometimes being completely calm and silent. On the outside, however, the only expressions I seemed to show was either irritation or boredom. Anything else took too much work or I didn't feel like expressing it. In my earlier years of school my....' _oddness_ '- as I liked to call it- had been discovered. It was then that I also realized I wasn't like the other children and they noticed the same thing.  
As I got older, I was pretty much ignored and written off as just a background lump of flesh that occupied a certain amount of space. I didn't mind it though, it meant that I could be left alone. The only hard part about growing up was the classes I had to attend to correct my behavioral and psychological issues. They at first had assumed my 'problem' was a mental illness type of issue and put me on a series of medications until they finally discovered that I was actually quite healthy in every aspect of the term.  
That was when the classes started and when I began to stop using physical ticks or cues to express emotions. It wasn't that I was cutting myself off from the outside world, it was just me developing another personality that didn't allow my oddness to show. Over the years, it became easier to control and hardly anyone could tell that there was something off about me.  
But then again, nothing is ever completely fixed-there's always something still left. There were certain things that could trigger my hidden personality to surface, though it rarely ever happened, and I could easily live with that. I honestly had no problem with who I was, but my oddness made others fairly uncomfortable or weirded out, so they tended to disregard me on a daily basis.  
I, on the hand, was either too busy reading or dazing off to even care. Most of the kids I went to high school with had also gone to elementary with me and they all remembered well how I used to be back then. They found great relief in my current personality....most of the time, but my unwillingness to do anything got in their way from time to time.  
By the time I was in my third year of high school, I was sent off to apparently live with a cousin of mine back in Miyagi while my parents went on a vacation cruise they had won in a raffle with their jobs. They'd be traveling to many parts of the world, leaving me in Miyagi for quite some time until they'd come back.  
Though, now that I was actually with my cousin, I wondered if I'd really return to them when they got home. I had met him once before when I was a kid and he was in high school, and he was pretty cool back then. But now....now he was the personification of cool-to me, anyways. So far, I didn't even know if his personality had changed, but he just looked like someone I could get along with-even though I wasn't sure since I was just standing there and looking at him.  
His hair was a lot longer than what it used to be, bleached and pushed back by a headband while a surprised looks was on the face that hadn't really changed over time. He had been reading the newspaper while smoking a cigarette as he sat behind the counter in the little corner store, but the second he saw me he seemed to immediately recognize me. Putting down the paper, he narrowed his eyes as if trying to make sure I was who he thought I was until he confirmed it by spotting the nametag on my luggage.  
"Takachi?" His voice was slightly deeper than I remembered, and I noticed the shiny, little rings adorning one of his ears. I gave the slightest of nods and he was on his feet, grinning while throwing his arms up into the air. "Takachi!" His tone was louder and I just blankly stared at him. "The last time I saw you, you were only this big!" He held a hand to about mid-thigh while putting out the cigarette. "How have you been, Cuz?" I was a little surprised by the fact that he was actually excited to see me. Only grandpa had ever been happy to see me....  
"....Meh." I lazily replied and he nodded, crossing his arms as if he knew exactly what I wanted to say.  
"Were you told about what's happening this weekend?" He then asked, receiving another slight nod from me as he seemed to calm down. "Good, tomorrow I'll show you the team at morning practice and one of them can show you around the school. That sound okay?" Barely shrugging, I didn't really ask what he was talking about since I had already been informed that my older cousin had become a coach to the male volleyball team at Karasuno.  
"Keishin...." I mumbled, looking right at him as he raised a brow. His questioning look was answered by the loud growl coming from my stomach and he just looked at me.  
"Pfft...." The bleached blond then burst into laughter before fetching me some food. He had a pile of meat buns and sat me down behind the counter with him, stuffing my luggage back there until closing time when we could leave the store. He picked the paper back up and had a small smile as he began to ask me a few questions here and there, only getting grunts and hums as replies.  
I was right, Keishin was pretty cool. He didn't seem unnerved by me in the least bit and took my sound replies as if they were full sentences. I couldn't remember if he did that when we were younger, but he was doing it now and I was pondering on how he was able to do it.


	2. Takachi's Oddness

Waking up at the butt-crack of dawn, I tiredly followed Keishin around until we were at the school and he lead me to the gym. Along the way, I found quite a few good spots to escape to if I ever wanted to be completely alone. The blond pushed open the door and I could hear voices and the sound of skin hitting something hard and bouncing.  
"They were already warned of you're coming, so don't feel obligated to do too much at the moment." He said over his shoulder as I stepped into the gym. By _'too much_ ', he meant talking and interacting. Silence then ensued as all eyes were seemingly on me. There was a wide variety of reactions, but the most noticeable one was from a short male with bright orange hair.  
"Ah! She doesn't look like coach Ukai with long hair! Kageyama, you liar!" He shouted while pointing at a the blue eyed male next to him who was giving a rather evil looking smile.  
"You're the idiot that believed me." He simply stated as I lazily glanced over their faces.  
"Now, everyone, as you've all probably got by now, this is my younger cousin, Takachi." And Keishin dropped a hand on top of my head. "What I didn't mention though, is there will be rules you will have to follow when you are around her." His relaxed tone gained a serious edge as he looked at each of them. "As I have said, Takachi has special circumstances that she lives with and I want you all to help make it easier for her." _'Okay, yeah, Keishin is totally cool._ ' I thought while mentally grinning. No one had ever done what he was doing right now for me-I usually had to do everything myself and hope for the best.  
"First off, do not whistle, do not carry tennis balls or any round objects around that size, do not howl, do not make eye-contact for too long, do not wave food around when she's hungry, and at all costs, do _not_ challenge her to _anything_. I know this may seem a little weird, but there is a reason for this that I will now explain since I have Takachi's permission. Also, these rules are to...." He cleared his throat while glancing around. "ensure _your_ safety just as much as her's." Keishin waved a hand, seeing all of the confused and odd looks he was receiving.  
"I need you all to promise that this conversation doesn't leave this gym." After getting a swear from each one, a few looked excited to be let in on such a secret concerning some odd stranger that was related to their coach. "Good." Keishin nodded before continuing. "Okay, so....Takachi's parents worked most of the time while she was growing up, so she was left in the care of a nanny. The nanny, however, didn't really do their job right and Takachi was looked after by Kanjida. So, as a result, Takachi pretty much learned what she was supposed to have from the nanny and her parents from Kanjida instead."  
"What's wrong with that? What's that got to do with the rules?" One boy questioned while looking utterly confused. Keishin sighed while I just stood there with my hands in my pockets.  
"Kanjida was the dog." My cousin explained. "So, technically speaking, Takachi was raised by this dog and everything was mostly fine except that Takachi thought dog behavior was the normal way to act. Since this all happened over a long period of time before her parents noticed, dog-related habits had sort of gotten stuck in her head, but it's all been mostly fixed now. Even so, there are certain things that can cause Takachi to relapse for short periods of time and that's what I'm trying to prevent and would greatly appreciate it if you guys helped out with that." The blond stuffed his hands into his pockets while giving them all a serious look.  
"None of this is a joke and it's actually a serious problem that Takachi prefers to keep hidden. You guys are only being told this all now due to the simple fact that she will be around you guys for a majority of the time and because you can help her out in school in case something were to happen." He then looked over his shoulder at me and smirked. "Though, for the most part, she's just a lazy teen with a manga problem." The blond's smirk suddenly vanished as he was hissing with pain while holding his leg after I had given it a swift kick. My expression remained blank, but Keishin caught the glint in my eye.  
Once everything had been fully explained to the whole team, they introduced themselves to me while I silently stood there and listened. Afterwards, Keishin had the silver haired third year show me around. If I wasn't mixing up the names, I believed he had said he was Sugawara, Koushi. He was calm and smiled at me on occasion, trying to make sure I was comfortable and had no questions as he took me around the school.  
The boy didn't seem to put off by my silence and reluctance to walk as fast as he was. He was patient with me-thankfully-and he even had a few classes that I did, but at different times, so he'd also lend his textbooks to me since I hadn't gotten all of the right ones yet. In my own opinion from the way he acted, the boy was very....motherly.


	3. Nekoma Training Camp

"Is that...."  
"Could it be...."  
"The Skytree?!" The two idiots said with excited tones as they were looking up at a....transmission tower. Sighing out of my nose, I lazily looked to the guy that was laughing his ass off at them.  
"No, that's just a transmission tower." Another one said, explaining the obvious to the duo. The black haired male next to him was clutching his stomach and his laugh was amusing while his hair looked like he had just gotten out of bed.  
"Here we are, Tokyo!" Nishinoya roared as we stood in front of Nekoma Metropolitan High School. Glancing at the managers, I saw that they were lightly chatting to each other as the rest of the team was exiting the bus. Yawning, I scratched the back of my head and walked off to find a quieter place to most likely take a nap in.  
Keishin didn't see me wander off, so I'd have a good head start on catching some rest before he'd catch on to me. Even though he tried to get me to be more active with the team and everything, I still thought he was pretty cool. Though it may not seem like it, the week I had already spent with him so far had actually been nice. Karasuno wasn't that bad, either, but people had taken a long while before catching on that I'd rather be left alone. The male volleyball team, on the other hand, were almost always around and the goofier ones out of them would literally act like guards as we were walking through the halls between classes or lunch.  
Nishinoya and Tanaka were especially bad at doing that, but Kiyoko always managed to get them off of my back by just walking by and glancing their way. Daichi and Suga were good company to have during lunch, though I'd just silently sit near them and nothing more.  
It was odd to be so close with people after so long, and I found myself actually enjoying their company and imagining what conversations we could possibly have if I had the initiative to talk to them. With Asahi, though, he was very sensitive to my presence and would always freak out when I was around. At first I had thought it was because he knew about my oddness, but I later found out it was due to the fact that he had no idea what I was thinking and he actually found me intimidating. That brunette giant had a heart of badly annealed glass.  
When I had found a spot underneath a fairly large tree near what looked like the back of a gymnasium, I plopped down and used my bag like a pillow. It didn't take long for me to pass out since I had been determined to look at the scenery the whole bus ride here, and that had been a trip that lasted for hours.  
~  
Slowly opening my eyes, I sat up while groggily looking around. When my eyes focused, I saw my cousin crouched down in front of me while he was holding his cellphone. His brows were furrowed and he looked ready to give me a good scolding.  
"So....this is where you've been?" He questioned as he closed his cell and the ringtone going off in my pocket shut off. "When did you sneak off, huh?" Lifting his chin, Keishin pointed at me. "Next time, don't wander and make sure I know where you are at all times." I just grunted while letting out a huff of air as I slightly furrowed my brows.  
"Don't give me that look, Takachi, be glad I found you in time for dinner." Perking up at his words, he sweatdropped while catching the change in my mood. "Come on." He rolled his eyes while standing up and grabbing my bag. "Everyone else is lookin' for you too, so you should text them all that you're okay."  
"I only have Nishinoya's number." I said, barely speaking above a whisper while slipping out my phone.  
"Oh? And why's that?" Keishin smirked as I went to my contact list, probably thinking of ways to tease me about what I had just said.  
"He put it in there while I was napping." Speaking in a monotone voice, my cousin simply laughed and it didn't take long for me to know that the short libero had gotten my message. I had sent two emoji's-a thumbs up and a cat's face-and not even a minute late, a shout echoed out with an indeterminable origin. It sounded as if the person was amazed beyond comprehension and it distinctly sounded like Nishinoya.  
"I'm surrounded by weirdos...." Keishin sighed as he led me to the cafeteria. When we walked in, the Karasuno libero was standing there while holding his phone. Tanaka was right next to him, looking equally as excited, and my gaze lazily landed on the shorter of the two.

~

"Takachi-san, your texts are adorable!" Nishinoya blurted out, holding up a fist as he got stars in his eyes. "I will now text you without fear!" Giving the slightest of nods, the tiny second year looked near tears with joy. Tanaka then gave me a serious look after clearing his throat.  
"Takachi-san, may I also have your number?" He asked, peering down at me from his height. He was just about as tall as Keishin, so there were inches between us. My only solace from all of these tall people was standing next to Nishinoya, Yachi, and Hinata when he wasn't wearing thick soled shoes. It's not that I had a problem with my height, I just didn't like looking up all the time since it got tiring after a while. Shimizu was slightly taller than me, so I was in the middle between her and the ball of sunshine in height.  
Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I simply tossed it to the taller male and his face lit up as he caught it. He raised it over his head as if he was holding up a trophy before quickly putting his number into my phone. Keishin sighed while walking away, still carrying my bag, and leaving me to fend for myself against these two dorks. When I got my phone back, Tanaka had sent a text from my phone to his so he could program my number into his contacts.  
Slipping the phone back into my pocket, I began to walk towards the managers that were serving food. Nishinoya and Tanaka were too busy fawning over the one text I had actually sent to the libero to notice my departure and I found slight relief in that. Grabbing a plate, I piled it up with food and turned to find the nearest empty seat. Even though I didn't do much and didn't like wasting a lot of energy, I still ate like no tomorrow at meal times and everyone in my family wondered where the Hell it all went.  
Sitting in the closest open spot, I placed my food onto the table and began to eat. The conversations around me mixed together in a sea of noise and I ignored it all by focusing on my food and stuffing my face. Well, I went unnoticed by all of the boys at the table until the one sitting to my right turned around and caught sight of me.  
"Uwah! How long have you been there?!" His voice was loud as he leaned back. Lazily glancing up at him, I licked the rice sticking to my cheek and didn't answer him. Looking at him with an emotionless expression, he narrowed his wide eyes at me. "Hey, are you really a Karasuno manager?" He asked, pointing to the black jacket I wore. No, I wasn't a manager, this was just how Keishin marked me as property of Karasuno instead of me just being some stranger that wandered onto school grounds. I was only here because my cousin was as well and he had to keep an eye on me somehow.  
Staying silent, I just continued to look at him. He had big, golden eyes while his hair was a white-ish grey with black streaks that was spiked up in an odd fashion. He was still waiting patiently for an answer and his appearance as a whole reminded me of an owl....a very big owl....  
When the guy caught on that I wasn't gonna answer him, his face fell and he turned to the male sitting across from him. He had a much calmer air to him and was what most would consider a _'pretty boy'_ with messy black hair and dark eyes.  
"Akaashi!" The one next to me whined, gaining the attention of the black haired male. "I think this girl already hates me!" The dark eyed male then glanced to me as we both shared an expressionless face. His brow slightly rose as if to ask if it were true and I barely shook my head.  
"She doesn't hate you." He replied while turning back to the louder one.  
"You don't?!" And the male with golden eyes was leaning towards me with a huge grin on his face. I simply nodded once and the guy broke out with a huge grin. "Cool! So, what's your name? I'm Bokuto, Koutarou, I'm the ace, captain, and a spiker for Fukuroudani!" He pointed to himself with his thumb while excitedly talking. "I didn't see you at the practice matches today, are you, like, the secret manager of Karasuno or something? Ooh, do you have special techniques that must be kept hidden?!" I briefly glanced to the black haired male that sadly nodded his head to my silent question. _'Is he always like this?'_ and _'Is he honestly this stupid?'_ crossed my mind.  
"Ta-Takachi-chan...." Turning around, I saw a slightly terrified Yachi standing there. "Coach Ukai wa-wanted me t-to tell you that you'll b-be rooming with th-the managers." Giving her a slight nod, she then hurried off. She was most likely intimidated by the people I was sitting with....  
"Takachi? Is that your name?" I turned back to look at the owl-ish looking boy. "Is that like _'taka no chi'_?" My eyes widened a small fraction as I my mouth slightly opened. Only my cousin and parents knew how my name was, but then there was this random dude that completely got it in a matter of seconds. Nodding, his face lit up from my answer. "That's so cool! Mine means _'horned owl'_!" The boy was like an excited child as he kept talking to me. _'You look like a horned owl.'_ I mentally popped off.  
Eating while listening, he veered from name meanings and dived into talking about his volleyball team and his school. I didn't understand what made the golden eyed male so animated, but he wasn't unnerved by the fact that my expression didn't change the whole time. I assumed it was due to him being used to it from the guy sitting across from him, but once he had confirmed that I didn't hate him, it seemed that that was good enough for him and he was acting so comfortable with me.  
I assumed this loudness and extroverted-ness was just his personality because the others from his team weren't phased by how loud he was being or that he was talking to a complete stranger. After a while, though, I kind of zoned out and just kept eating. Bokuto-I think he said his name was-didn't seem to notice until he finally asked me a question and I didn't react at all. I looked up at him when he was waving a hand in front of my face and he pouted.  
"Were you even listening?" I answered with quick shake of my head. The male groaned, slamming his forehead against the table. "Takachi-chan!" He whined. "I was telling a really awesome story!" The boy then turned to face me, his cheek now on the table top as I slightly shrugged. Rising to my feet, I picked up my now empty plate and began to walk away. "Where are you going?" I lazily raised my plate, then pointed to the exit sign and he seemed to understand. "'Kay! See you tomorrow!" He perked up again while waving his arm like crazy.  
Without doing anything else, I got rid of my plate and left the cafeteria to head to bed. Little did I know at the time that this encounter would affect me and those around me greatly.


	4. Friends

"Takachi!" Keishin came bursting into the classroom the managers were using to sleep in. He stomped over and yanked the blanket off of me before pointing an accusing finger at me. "Why are you still asleep?! Huh? You missed our first game!" Groaning, I rolled over, but my cousin grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. "Come on, why can't you be like these other teenagers and do something productive?"  
"Ugh." I went limp in his hold, making my body heavier as he simply dropped me. Crawling back to the futon, I heard Keishin click his tongue.  
"If you aren't out of here in five minutes, I'm dragging you out in your pajamas." The door then slammed shut and I shoved my face into my pillow. "I'm counting down, Takachi!" Groaning, I rolled onto the floor and kept going until I hit the wall where my bag was. Pulling out some clothes, I got dressed and lumbered to the door.  
Opening it, I shot a small glare to my cousin and he jumped from the unexpected look. Keishin gave a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his head as I yawned. He then began to walk away and I followed after, stuffing my hands into my pockets. I didn't really bother with my hair, it was naturally tame-save for the two fluffs of hair that refused to ever go down on the sides of my head. No matter what I tried, these two tufts would always spring free and after I while I just got tired of fighting them and instead just let them do whatever it is they wanted.  
When we arrived at the gym, Karasuno was preparing to go against Fukuroudani. _'Isn't that the owl's sch-'_ And my thoughts were interrupted by someone shouting.  
"Taka no chi!" Lazily looking over, I saw the male I had just been thinking of running right for me. I at first thought he was going to run right into me and took a step back, but he slid to a halt and stopped right in front of me. "Where have you been all morning? You're barely in time for the match!" He was being just as loud as he had been at dinner.  
Looking at him blankly, he simply continued to smile while looking down at me. Now that he was standing, I could see that he was much, much taller than myself. Hell, he was probably taller than Keishin. ' _What the Hell do they feed you?'_ I thought, trying to figure out how he could be so tall. In the end, I assumed that they just might be putting plant fertilizer into his food....  
"Oh! Now you can watch me play! Did I tell you that I was the ace?" He grinned from ear to ear while pointing at himself. Giving a faint nod, the male laughed. "Just watch, taka no chi, you'll see the extent of my skills!" And then he added under his breath. "Plus my team's because they're all really good, too."  
"Bokuto!" The black haired male from last night called, looking a bit irritated as he was holding a volleyball.  
"Oh, sorry, got to go! The game is about to start, so watch carefully, okay?" He asked, pointing at me as he took a step back. I didn't reply, and he waved while running to his team "Just pay attention!" Sighing from my nose, I slowly walked towards the bench on our side of the court and plopped down next to my cousin. He was sitting with his arms crossed and raised his brow at me.  
"You know Fukuroudani's captain?" He asked. I just hummed in reply and shrugged. My answer seemed to amuse him since he chuckled before turning back to look at the court. "I didn't think you'd hang out with such an active person-doesn't go with your lazy personality." Looking right at him, I felt like hitting him, but narrowed my eyes dangerously instead. That was enough to get him to shut up. "Okay, geez.... Kids these days...." Keishin sighed.  
Sadly, though, I passed out before the game even started and slept while still sitting up. No one seemed to notice since I slept the whole game through and I didn't wake up until Keishin had caught onto me. He wasn't too happy that I had fallen asleep and said that I'd have to stay awake the whole ride back to Miyagi. Crap....  
"Did you see? Did you see?!" Bokuto came running over, his arms flapping around like wings as he looked at me excitedly. "What do you think of my team, huh?"  
"She fell asleep." Keishin popped off, causing the owl looking male to completely deflate.  
"Fell....asleep?" He repeated, looking between my cousin and I. "Ah! I'm sorry I was too boring!" He dramatically looked away, raising a hand while I lazily looked at the back of his head. "I promise I'll make it worth it next time! Just you wait and see!" Bokuto then ran off, leaving me slightly confused and wondering what the Hell was wrong with him.  
~  
When we were leaving, I was the first to board the bus and fell into a seat by the window. Pulling out one of the many mangas I had brought with me in my bag, I began to read as the others piled on and stuffed their bags into the very back. After a little while, I got the nagging feeling that someone was watching me and I glanced up. Looking around, I found the culprit standing outside the bus. A few of the players from the other teams were there, sending off the Karasuno team.  
However, the owl captain was staring right at me and gave a huge smile when he saw that I was looking right back. He then waved like a maniac and I just blankly stared. Bokuto's smile sort of dropped as he began to pout, upset that I wasn't waving back. _'Cute....'_ I thought, looking at his upset expression. Raising my hand, I slightly waved back and it was like a switch flipped in his head as he was bouncing around and waving even more. _'Geez, he's like a puppy....'_  
The Nekoma captain that was standing next to him, giving him a look with a raised eyebrow before he followed Bokuto's line of sight to me. The bedheaded male gained a mischievous grin. _'The Hell?'_ I was at first confused from the other guy's reaction, but then decided to just ignore it since Bokuto was still going crazy with the waving.  
Lowering my hand, the bus finally began to move and the owl had yet to stop waving. Shoving my face into my book, I couldn't help it and cracked a smirk at his odd behavior. I guess he really liked making new friends....  
~  
"The training camp was really great." Takeda-sensei said. The bus had been fairly quite due to everyone falling asleep, and only 3 of us students were still awake. Hinata, Kageyama, and myself while both of the adults were also awake. "I think we found a lot of areas for improvement."  
"Well, we're gonna have to take them one at a time." My cousin replied. Their voices sounded quiet since I was at the back of the bus and some of the guys were lightly snoring.  
"Indeed. Let's go home and carefully think about them."  
"Go home, huh...." Keishin sighed, and I knew exactly why.  
"Ukai-kun?" Takeda questioned as I flipped the page in a new manga I had pulled from my bag.  
"Speaking of going home, a rather annoying relative is coming home...." He sighed again and I glanced out the window. Honestly, out all of my family-save for Keishin-this _'annoying'_ relative was actually my favorite. Not that I'd tell anyone that because then his ego would inflate and he'd boast about it for years to come.  
~  
"All right, everyone. Good work." Takeda said, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. It was night by the time we had gotten back, and the school was dead silent.  
"Thank you!" The guys shouted.  
"So, as I mentioned, tomorrow there will be inspections in the gym, so there'll be no club activities. You've all gone a long time without a break, so please enjoy it." The messy haired teacher smiled. Looking to my cousin, I lazily walked over to him and we began to head home.  
When I was laying in bed, my phone began to vibrate and I glanced over to it. It was pretty late, but I was curious as to who it would be at this time of night and grabbed it. Looking at the screen, I saw it was a text from Nishinoya.  
 _'Don't forget that we have a long term training camp at the end of this week!'_ He had added a little lightening bolt at the end of the text. Laying on my back with my phone over my head, I began to reply.  
What I sent back was a thumbs up at the with the cat face like before. It took a while for him to reply, and judging from his normal behavior, I assumed it was because he had been freaking out that I had actually replied.  
 _'Okay, good night, Takachi-san!'_ There was a star this time.  
In reply, I gave a green check mark and a moon to tell him good night as well. It was odd having friends after all these years of being alone, but I couldn't say I didn't enjoy it. The Karasuno male volleyball team may be greatly composed of goofballs, but they were amazing people to say in the least. I'd have to thank Keishin one day for introducing them to me.  
But, another problem that came with making these new friends was....what would I do when my parents got back from their vacation?


	5. Family

"Coach!" I heard a familiar voice shout as I was walking to the back of the traditional styled house. Seeing the familiar sight of Keishin getting smacked around by our grandpa caused me to have to look away to hide my smirk. The old man still had enough strength to kick ass, I guess. "P-Please help me!"  
Turning back, I saw Hinata with his hair standing on end as he was taking a defensive stance. The geezer probably had the shrimp terrified....  
"With what?" My grandpa asked. "I don't go around smacking random people." He smirked, crossing his arms as Keishin pushed himself off of the ground. "Just weaklings."  
"You shitty old man...." Keishin shot the older male a look.  
"I-I came here to learn to fight on my own!" Hinata was still freaking out while I leaned onto the corner of the building.  
"You want to master mid-air battles? When you're only that tall?"  
"It's because I'm only this tall!" The shorty replied, and the geezer got this look on his face as his arms fell to his sides. He was honestly taken back by Hinata's answer. "I might sound like I'm saying something weird, but...." The boy trailed off, looking away while a smirk grew on the old man's face.  
"What's weird about it?" Grandpa then went over and picked up a volleyball. "No matter what kind of genius setter you're dealing with, in what we call a quick attack, the one that's the absolute leader is you." He then pointed at the orange haired male as Keishin tilted his head. "Stop spacing out! You're the coach, damn it!" And my cousin was sent flying by the old man again. Hinata was screaming in terror as he watched the whole thing. I, on the other hand, found it amusing.  
"And Takachi, how long are you plannin' on standing there?" The old man then looked up at me, a huge grin playing onto his face. Hinata jumped around, seeing me lazily leaning onto the house as I just blankly looked at my grandpa. "Come here and give me a hug!" He then threw his arms out as he waited-I didn't move and he got a mischievous look. The old geezer whistled as if calling a dog and in the blink of an eye, I was right there in front of him.  
Hinata went wide eyed, not expecting such speed to come from someone like me. The geezer then wrapped me in a hug while laughing his ass off and I rolled my eyes while returning the gesture. _'Damn old man....'_  
"So, you're livin' with Keishin now, huh? I bet that must be hard." The old man ruffled my hair and I just gave him a look. "Aw, what? Got nothing to say to this old man?" It was plain to see that our grandpa treated Keishin and I differently. For one, he was pretty hard on the bleached blond while practically doting on me. Secondly, he didn't smack me around like my cousin unless I was being way too lazy in front of him.  
"....Hi, geezer." I mumbled, shocking Hinata since I had actually spoken. He'd be the first from Karasuno to hear me speak.  
"Eh, we'll work on it." The old man laughed while pushing me towards the house. "Go on in, there's some cookies waiting in the kitchen since I knew you couldn't resist visiting!" He got this look on his face that was fit for the Cheshire cat. I would have rebutted his words with something, but he was right and the promise of food was too great.  
Going inside, I slipped off my shoes and made a beeline for the kitchen. Right there on the table was a bag from the convenience store with a package of chocolate chip cookies inside. Sitting down, I pulled my legs up into the chair while crossing them and pulled the bag towards me. To be honest, it was as if he was honestly expecting me to come today. It wouldn't be surprising if he did, the geezer knew me pretty well.  
Ripping into the package of cookies, I sat contently in the silence while eating. I had seen the group of kids outside, so it was safe to assume that the geezer was already back to teaching his volleyball lessons and that's probably why Keishin and Hinata were here. Since he'd probably be busy with them, I was planning to leave right after eating the cookies and leave a note to say I'd come back some other time.  
Checking the time with the clock on the wall, I made sure to glance at it every now and then so I wouldn't miss the next bus that ran all the way out here.  
~  
"Takachi, I'm back!" Keishin called out. The front door closed and I could hear him slipping his shoes off. Flipping the page in my manga, I remained silent even as he walked by, but as he was passing, I lifted up the package of cookies I had gotten from the geezer we shared genetics with. "Thanks, runt." He ruffled my hair while taking what was left of the baked goods-which was half of the package-and headed to the kitchen. "What do you feel like having for dinner?" The blond asked while raising his voice to make sure he was heard.  
I grunted in reply, laying on the couch while reading. The place was small, but it was cozy and had just enough. It was definitely a change from my parents' rich lifestyle and I found it refreshing and comfortable. In all honesty, I felt more relaxed with my cousin than with my own parents. Maybe it was due to all of their standards and expectations that Keishin clearly lacked with me? Maybe it was because he wasn't constantly apologizing to the people he knew for my behavior?  
It could be due to a plethora of things, but it was impossible to go with just one reason.


	6. Self Pt.1

In the days following after Hinata began practicing with the geezer-Ukai, Keishin was getting home at later times due to him helping out his team in their training. At school, I'd still see the guys from time to time, but they were mostly focused on getting better for the impending tournament and studying for the upcoming tests in class. So, it pretty much went back to me being by myself-most of the time-and it didn't really bother me much.  
I'd either read or daze off to fill in my free time and the other students completely left me alone. A few days ago, a rumor had apparently spread like wildfire among the other third years and below that I really was related to _the_ Ukai coach from years past. The rumor wasn't wrong or bad in any way, but I was surprised that they hadn't figured it out sooner, I mean, how many people had the name Ukai?  
As a result, though, the others began to assume that my silence and my facial expressions were related to the fact that I had the fearsome Ukai blood running through my veins. It changed the way they saw me, but not by much-they just began to stay out of my way more than before. For example, before when I would walk through the halls, people would just give me weird looks and walk right by, but now if I were to walk down the hall, they'd avoid looking at me for too long. Honestly, that actually made me less tense and not have to worry about hiding my oddness as much.  
When summer came and school was let out for the break, I began to alternate between lazing about at my grandpa's or at school while everyone was practicing. Keishin began to get antsy, though, since there were more places I could sneak off to now that school was no longer in session. At one point, he had even called _twice_ within the same half-hour to make sure I was still nearby.  
I think it had more to do with the growing nerves from the tournament and the upcoming week long training camp than actually trying to keep tabs on me. Sure, he was the one assigned to watching me, but my cousin needed to calm down and it didn't take me long to find a way to help ease his nerves. To keep him from worrying about too many things, I began to hang out in the gym with everyone so he could just glance up to make sure I was still there and not lost somewhere or getting kidnapped.  
When the Karasuno team was leaving for Tokyo, Keishin drug me along like last time. Since we were going to be gone for an entire week, I made sure to pack a bunch of different mangas just in case and had my phone fully charged before we left so I'd have it for the whole ride. We were leaving at night, so I was probably just going to sleep the whole way, but you never knew what was going to happen....  
~  
"Hey, hey! Where's the Skytree?" An excited Hinata was asking as he was bouncing around. I could only hear what he was saying due to how loud he was being, and I just sighed through my nose. It was just like last time with Nishinoya and Tanaka....  
"What the Hell? Are there no transmission towers in Miyagi?" A tall, black haired male asked while pointing to Hinata. He had been the same bedhead that had laughed his ass off at the two other dorks last time. "Pretty sure I've heard that conversation before."  
"The transmission towers in Tokyo all look like the Tokyo Tower to us countryfolk!" Daich retorted.  
"That's a rash thing to say." Suga added and I followed behind everyone else as they were walking away from the bus. Closing my eyes as I yawned, I stuffed my hands into my pockets while my bag was slung over my shoulders. "Also, we're in Saitama." If I remembered right, the training camp this time around was being held at Shinzen instead of Nekoma....  
When we entered the gym, the guys put on numbered sports bibs that were yellow with black trim. _'Okay, so I have to stick with the bananas....'_ I thought, taking a mental note as to who I would have to blindly follow if I ever dazed out.  
"Hey, hey, hey! Taka no chi!" A familiar shout caught my attention as I lazily looked to the direction it was coming from. My eyes went a fraction wider, seeing the owl captain barreling right for me at top speeds. He had a huge grin on his face and was obviously happy to see me, but it was like having a huge dog was excitedly bounding towards me. I originally thought he was going to crash right into me, but he instead grabbed me, lifting me off of the ground as he spun me around like I weighed nothing. "Long time, no see!"  
I just grunted in reply, giving a deadpanned expression as the tall boy had his arms wrapped around me. When he was finally standing still, my feet still dangled inches off of the ground and it didn't look like the overexcited owl was going to let me down.  
"Oi, what do you think you're doing with Takachi-san?"  
"Huh?!" I didn't have to look to know it was Tanaka and Nishinoya who were getting onto Bokuto. The taller male blinked at them, his bright expression not faltering as he looked at the two giving him intimidating faces.  
"Don't worry!" And my feet finally touched the ground again. "Taka no chi and I are friends!" Bokuto grinned from ear-to-ear while the other two did not seem very pleased. Straightening my shirt, I pulled out my phone and began to play a game on it while the two dorks were glaring at the owl captain. Turning away to leave, I assumed that they all had each other occupied, but was greatly mistaken when the tall beast was right in front of me again.  
"Remember to watch our match this time!" He gave a thumbs-up before Akaashi was calling him back to their side of the court. I guess the setter was stuck being the mother for Fukurodani like Suga was for Karasuno.... "Let's try for no penalties!" Bokuto shouted, crossing his arms while grinning at Karasuno.  
The two teams then ran onto the court, getting into their positions while I wondered over to the bench with the two managers. Putting my phone away to fulfill the owl captain's request, I made sure to pay attention to their game.  
Not long into it, though, I soon came to an agreement with the statements Bokuto had made the last training camp about his team. Fukurodani really was a formidable foe and the loud ace had a killer spike. When Kageyama and Hinata tried for their first quick of the game, our two teams were silenced by it. No, the quick did not work-the ball didn't even reach Hinata like it usually would. It instead dropped short and my brows furrowed slightly.  
 _'Was he trying the thing Keishin was telling me about?_ ' I wondered, recalling that my cousin had boasted about how the number 9 player was learning a new toss that would literally 'drop'.  
The second time they tried it, the ball went too far, but Hinata still managed to hit it by saving it with his left hand instead of spiking. The ball barely went over the net, tipping over and hitting the other side before Fukurodani could get it.  
"Nice, Hinata!" Yamaguchi shouted. The little ball of sunshine and the milk consuming ball of social awkwardness were both just looking at each other with these strange looks on their faces. It was as if they were shocked by the sudden changes in the one another. Well, this would be their first practice together after that big fight they had a while back....  
During the rest of the game, other members of the Karasuno team were showing the skills they had gained or polished since our last batch of practice matches. Even though what they were attempting was impressive, none of them were in sync and the plays would end up as failures, but the potential was still there. Karasuno was on the road to becoming a beast of a team-I could tell that much from this first game.  
In the end, Fukurodani won and Karasuno was stuck with the penalty that was running up and down a steep hill just outside of the large gymnasium.  
"Did you see that, taka no chi?!" And the owl captain was running at me for the second time that day. I rolled off the back of the bench and sat criss-cross behind it to avoid what happened earlier from repeating itself. Having the bench, Yachi, and Kiyoko between me and the sweaty owl seemed like enough to keep from getting hugged and swung around again.  
"T-Taka no chi?" Yachi tilted her head to the side as Bokuto slid to a halt to keep from crashing into the metal bench. Her gaze then whipped to me as her eyes widened. "Why does he call you ' _Hawk blood'_?" The tiny blond questioned. Looking up at the two managers and the owl captain, I didn't reply.  
"It's her name, Yachi." Kiyoko said calmly, brushing some of her dark hair behind he ear as she looked down at the papers in her hands. " _Takachi_ , when broken down, means ' _hawk blood'_." Ah, another person that got my name.  
"S-Seriously?!" The first year seemed shocked while I continued to sit there as Bokuto was bobbing his head up and down like an owl, waiting for me to reply to his question. He was smiling, and his golden eyes never left me. The guy was like a puppy waiting for praises and treats....  
"Mm-hm." Kiyoko hummed, getting a small smile from her kouhai's behavior. "And yes, she watched the whole match, Bokuto-san." The owl captain glanced to the older of the two managers, gaining a huge grin.  
"Really! What's she think? Did she see how awesome we are?!" He then turned back to me. "Did you see? Did you? Huh?" The male was fairly childish in nature apparently.... I gave him a thumbs-up while my face showed no emotion, but the simple gesture was enough to send the captain running back to his team with his fists thrown into the air. "Hey, hey, hey! Akaashi! She thinks we're good!"  
~  
At the end of the day, we were unable to win even one of the practice games. Kiyoko and Yachi were with the team as they were cooling down from the last penalty run, giving out towels and water while everyone else went off to either practice some more on their own or to go eat dinner and get ready for bed. I was one of the ones already heading to dinner, but I was stopped outside by an arm slinging over my shoulders.  
"So, you're the new friend, huh?" A voice asked from above and I looked up to see the Nekoma captain that had the crazy bedhead going on. This was the first time he had spoken to me, but it wasn't hard to tell who he was talking about since I had seen him around Bokuto many times earlier today.  
"Wanna tell me your name?" He asked, smirking as he walked besides me. I didn't answer and just kept giving him a blank stare. "Don't talk much, do ya?" The male questioned while looking back ahead. "Well, why don't you come help out with practice, hm? Bokuto would love to get your thoughts on his spiking. Think you can give him a few pointers from a spectator's view? Tell him how cool the spikes are?" The black haired giant's smirk kept growing the more he talked and he began to lead me towards another gym. "Perfect, you're help is a wonderful gift!" His look was more on the mischievous side rather than the grateful one.  
Sighing from out of my nose, I just followed along with the crazy bedheaded guy. If he was friends with Bokuto, he probably was on the abnormal side as well, but then again, who liked being normal?  
"Hey, hey, hey! Kuroo! Who'd you find?" The arm over my shoulders finally lifted as the Nekoma captain held me at arm's length in front of himself.  
"I caught her outside, wanna keep her?"  
"Kuroo, she's not a wild animal or a bug, she's a Karasuno manager." Akaashi sighed as I simply stood there. Bokuto's face lit up as he looked down at me.  
"Are you gonna help up practice?" He asked excitedly, but the male holding my shoulders, Kuroo, cleared his throat.  
"Actually, she's not a manager." His statement earned confused looks from the other two. "And she will be our lovely, one-person audience!" Shoving my hands into the pockets of the Karasuno jacket, I glanced up at the owl captain who tilted his head to the side. _'Cute.'_ I thought, seeing the gears trying to turn in his head.  
"She's not a manager? Than what is she doing here?" Akaashi asked, stepping closer while looking at me.  
"This, my friends, is what we call an _'Ukai'_. She's related to the Karasuno couch-that's why she's here." Bokuto took a step back, going wide eyed as he turned back to me.  
"I thought your name was Takachi! What else have you deceived me with?!" He dramatically fell to his knees and threw his fists into the air. "Why must the world be so cruel?!" The owl captain whined.  
"She didn't lie to you, her name is Ukai, Takachi." Kuroo chuckled and watching the tall boy beating his fists against the floor as he dramatically shouted questions to no one in particular made it hard for me to not smile.  
"It is?" The bi-color haired male looked up at me with those big, golden eyes. Raising to his feet, he cleared his throat while straightening his clothes. "I knew that!"  
"Bakato." I slightly laughed, unable to contain the need to smile from his goofy behavior. The owl captain completely froze as he stared down at me. The tips of his ears began to turn red and he quickly turned away while mechanically walking towards the net.  
"C-Come on! We're here to-to practice!"  
"Oya? What was that?" Kuroo had a certain tone in his voice that was more suited to someone who was scheming something rather than a high school student. Either way, though, I felt just a smidgen of happiness since I was able to see my new, energetic friend again. Sure, he was loud and talked a lot, but he was nice and had left me with a good impression of himself the first time.


	7. Self Pt.2

"Oh, hey, you! Karasuno! You with the glasses!" Glancing up, I saw Kuroo and Bokuto in the doorway, looking out at someone that was outside. The owl captain was stretching while the bedheaded guy was waving who I assumed to be Tsukishima down. I mean, who else on the Karasuno team had glasses? Sure, Takeda did as well, but I highly doubted they'd be asking him to block for them.  
"Oh, actually, I'm done for the night." I heard the blond's voice reply. It had only been around ten minutes since I had been picked up like a stray and dropped down in here with the others. "If you'll excuse me."  
"What?!" The two in the doorway spoke at the same time while being taken back by his answer. The owl captain leaned on the door frame, placing his free hand on his hip like Kuroo was.  
"There's no point in practicing spikes without a blocker!" He told the male outside. "Come on!" Looking back down at the phone in my hands, I leaned against the wall again while playing the little Brick Attack game. _'You've been practicing this whole time without a blocker....'_ I mentally popped off.  
"Why does it have to be me? Why not someone from Fukurodani?"  
"There's no limit to Bokuto-san's spiking practice," Akaashi spoke up as he walked towards the door. "so everyone runs away pretty quickly."  
"I'm too busy whipping this guy into shape." Kuroo then pointed to the other Nekoma player with his thumb. The huge guy had gotten drug in here in a very similar fashion that I had a little while ago and he was now a messy lump of flesh laying in his own puddle of sweat. From now on, I'm probably only going to think one thing whenever I see Kuroo again; _'What did the cat drag in?_ '  
"I said I'd jump some blocks!" The tallest male whined from the hardwood floor.  
"Shut up! If you want to continue as a regular on Nekoma's team, you need to actually be able to receive the ball!" Kuroo shouted back, denying the first year's offer. "He may not look it, but this guy's one of the top five spikers in the country," I lazily looked up, seeing the Nekoma captain now pointing at Bokuto. "So it'll be great practice." The owl captain smiled proudly while standing tall and crossing his arms.  
"So he somehow didn't make it into the top three, huh?" Akaashi popped off.  
"Don't mind." Kuroo pat the other captian on the back.  
"Don't raise me up just to let me get knocked down!"  
"Besides, if you're a middle blocker," Kuroo then got a sinister look as he turned back to Tsukishima. "you should practice your blocking a bit more." Not but a split second later, I heard footsteps and the tall blond was stepping into the gym. He then set down the towel he had with him before heading towards the net. As he was turning, that was when he noticed me sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall.  
"So the Lazy Queen was kidnapped by these idiots." Tsukishima popped off as he looked down at me. "Why is she here?" He then turned to the Fukurodani duo, knowing I wouldn't answer.  
"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Bokuto asked, tilting his head to the side as Akaashi was picking up a ball from the basket.  
"She doesn't talk. There'd be no point." The first year stated while pointing at me. The owl captain then smirked, striking a pose as he grabbed his chin in one hand and held his hip in the other.  
"Oh, really? Well, she talked earlier!" Tsukishima's look slightly changed to one of shock- I had been with the Karasuno team for quite a while and hadn't ever uttered a single syllable in their presence. Now, he was hearing of me saying something within only a day of being at this training camp. "She called me _'Bakato'_!" The blond then chuckled.  
"So, the first word out of her mouth is an insult, huh? Who would have thought that...." The Karasuno player then looked back to me with a smirk. "Say, what else can you do?" As an answer, I went back to playing the game on my phone. "Oh, so entertaining." There was heavy sarcasm in his voice before he walked away and their practice finally began.  
Glancing up from time to time, I'd see just how easy it was for Bokuto's spikes to get past Tsukishima. Honestly, I had noticed early on how the middle blocker rarely ever seemed interested in the game. _'Keishin might have to find a way to fix that....'_ Mentally taking note, I went back to my phone after the owl captian shouted.  
"One more!" Even though the blond was keeping up with the captain, his blocks and arms were weak, so the spikes were breaking through like he was made of paper. Not long after, Kuroo then joined in when the first year Nekoma-who had introduced himself as Lev- was face down on the floor in a puddle of his own sweat again.  
This time, Bokuto's spike was blocked by the bedheaded male who threw his fists into the air.  
"Yeah!" He cheered as the owl captain turned to look at the ball.  
"Damn it!" Bokuto shouted. He then turned towards the blond, crossing his arms as he closed his eyes. "You know, four eyes, you're great at reading attacks, but....your blocks are pretty weak." Tsukishima then gave a pissed-off look as the owl captain continued. "Your arms are so frail that I'm scared I'm gonna break them. You need to stop the ball like you mean it!" The blond then stood taller, putting his hands onto his hips.  
"I'm still a growing boy! I've just started gaining muscle and getting taller." He popped off while wearing a huge smile. _'Bullshit._ ' I mentally snorted, and rose to my feet since my battery was running down. Since the owl captain was distracted by the blond, as well as Kuroo, I managed to slip out unnoticed.  
It was darker outside now, but it was still bright enough that I could see the walkway in front of me. Slipping my phone into my pocket, I began to head away from the gym and towards a place I could plug the cellular device in to let it charge. After that, I'd probably sneak to the cafeteria and see what they had left in there....

~

Throughout the following day, Karasuno continued the losing streak in the practice matches. Even so, they were finally allowed a break from playing and running the penalty when some managers came out with cut up watermelons. Everyone just spread out over the steep hill and its surroundings as the watermelon was passed out to every body.  
Sitting in the shade, I licked my lips before I began to eat the juicy fruit in my hands. Glancing up, I took note of where all of the Karasuno bananas were and was glad that their color stood out so well. It was bright outside, extremely hot, and I still wore the Karasuno jacket even so. That was most of the reason why I was in the shade....the rest was due to the simple fact that the sun sapped at my energy like the mosquitoes did with my blood.  
When I looked up again, I found myself searching for the owl captain. When I found him, he was eating with two other players from his team I had yet to learn the names to. Licking my face clean, I was about to take another bite from my watermelon when Bokuto seemed to feel the eyes on him. His golden eyes immediately landed on me and he got this huge grin as his face was covered with food. He wildly waved his hand at me and I hid the growing smile behind the fruit in my hands.  
 _'Hm....aren't I smiling more than usual?'_ I mentally noted while watching Bokuto then point right next to himself, gesturing for me to come and sit with him. _'Eh, why not? We're friends now, I guess....'_ Rising to my feet, I lazily walked over, gaining the attention of the other two with him as they stopped laughing at whatever they thought was funny and looked right at me with curious gazes.  
"Hawk Blood! Sit down, sit down!" He pat the empty space next to himself again and I sat down without saying a word.  
"Hey, aren't you a Karasuno manager?" One of the males behind me asked. "How do you know Bokuto-san?"  
"No, she's their coach's cousin, and are you jealous that we're friends?!" He smirked, then burst into laughter at their shocked expressions. Simply watching the whole scene play out, I began to feel the heat attacking me. As if reading my mind, the owl captain looked back at me and tilted his head. "How are you wearing a jacket? Aren't you hot?" Nodding, I then held out my watermelon, gesturing for him to hold it.  
Sitting up straight, I unzipped the black jacket and tied the sleeves around my waist. Next to me, Bokuto had furrowed his brows at me as I retrieved my fruit and I assumed it was because he was trying to read my shirt. When it finally dawned on him what it said, his head fell back as he began to laugh even louder than before.  
"Bwa-hahahaha!" He gained some funny looks, but when they saw who it was, they just turned back to what they were doing. Underneath the jacket, I wore a loose tank top that had the bold words of ' _I_ ' and _'WORKOUT_ ' with the image of a chocolate glazed donut covered in sprinkles in between. "I donut workout!" Bokuto continued to laugh, but it was calming down as he held his stomach. "Ah, never guessed you were one into puns!" The two behind us then understood why their captain had suddenly burst into laughter after I had taken the jacket off.  
Biting into the watermelon, I didn't say anything and just waited for his laughing to stop. Spitting out the seeds like a machine gun, the owl captain stopped and then watched in awe at what I was doing.  
"Oh, let me try it!" He then took big bites from the watermelon, eating the red part while sorting out the seeds in his cheeks. The big guy then held up a hand gun and began to shoot out the seeds in time with the imaginary gun, acting like they were bullets. They didn't go too far, so they didn't actually hit anyone. When he looked at me, a mischievous smirk grew on his lips as he aimed the gun at me. "Any last words, Hawk Blood?" Bokuto asked with a dramatic tone.  
Looking at him, I slightly narrowed my eyes. Without making any sudden movement, he waited for me to do or say something before he shot. Raising my chin to where it was parallel with the ground, I slowly took in a deep breath through my nose. The two behind us watched in curiosity, assuming I was preparing to get hit with a watermelon seed. Instead, I shot out the last seed in my mouth at Bokuto.  
"Ah!" He dramatically fell back, acting out an insta-kill since the seed had pegged him in the forehead before it flew off into the grass. The owl captain laid motionless, the rest of the watermelon falling from his hand as his tongue fell from the corner of his mouth. _'Oh, this huge dork!'_ I mentally chuckled while Bokuto remained still.  
"B-Bokuto-san," One of the two behind us said between laughs. "You dropped your watermelon!" Then, the owl captain shot up and was looking down at what was left in the grass with utter defeat on his face.  
"Noooo!" He cried out, raising his fists as he fell to his knees. "Oh, why?! Why did it have to be this way?!" Standing up, I placed a hand on his shoulder while giving him the rest of my watermelon. "Hawk Blood?" Bakuto looked near tears as I pat his shoulder with the smallest, most minuscule of smiles. Walking away, I heard him cry out again. "THANK YOU!" In reply, I simply waved over my shoulder before going into the gym.  
When the rest of Karasuno came in, I got a few more laughs due to my shirt, but Tanaka and Nishinoya were literally crying and on their knees in front of me.  
"Takachi-san!" They whined. "Your shirt is wonderful!"  
"It perfectly captures your beauty!" Nishinoya threw his hands into the air.  
"And shows off those sexy shoulders and collarbone!" Tanaka raised a fist as tears were still streaming down his cheeks.  
"Praise the _'donut workout_ ' shirt!" They both said before they began to literally bow down. "Praise it!" Looking at them flatly, I simply turned away and walked off. Geez, those two were something else.  
After more games and penalty runs, the teams were finally released for free practice time. Watching everyone go their separate ways, I pulled out my phone to check the time. Walking outside, I began to just aimlessly walk around while getting lost in my head. Stuffing my hands into my short's pockets, I let my imagination wonder. It had been a while since I had last dazed off, so why not do it now?


	8. Don't Give A Hoot

"Oh?"  
"Oya-oya?"  
"Oya-oya-oya?" My head raised at the weird noises and I saw that I was passing by gym 3. Standing in the doorway, I saw the back of Tsukishima while Akaashi, Kuroo, and Bokuto where inside.  
"There's something I'd like to ask you. May I?" The blond questioned, stepping closer to the others while I stopped walking. Was he voluntarily approaching them? With a real question?  
"Sure!" The two captains said at the same time, making the exact same faces as well.  
"Thank you very much." Tsukishima gave a slight bow before he began. "Both of your schools are sometimes considered powerhouse schools, right?" _'Sometimes?_ ' I raised a brow, shifting on my feet as I listened in from the shadows outside.  
"Well, yeah." Kuroo replied, sounding irritated.  
"Even if you were able to make it to nationals, actually winning there would be difficult, right?"  
"But not impossible!" Bokuto shouted, raising a fist while becoming ticked off.  
"Now, now, let's hear him out." Akaashi calmly said, looking at the two captains that were giving the blond dirty looks. "This is just a what-if." The owl captain lowered his fist and I looked to Tsukishima.  
"I seriously can't figure out how everyone can be so determined. Volleyball is just a club, and maybe you'll get to write, _'I worked really hard in my club in high school'_ , on your resume, right?"  
" _'Just a club_ '?" Bokuto furrowed his brows while gaining a serious look. "That almost sounds like someone's name."  
"Ooh, like Mary Club?" Kuroo asked. "No wait, I guess it was _'just some club'_."  
"Aw, man! So it doesn't sound like someone's name. Man, I was so close!" Bokuto whined as I covered my mouth with my hand. _'God, why am I laughing? Why is this so funny?'_ I thought, trying to keep quiet.  
"Damn it!" Kuroo complained.  
"Are you basically asking me to retort?" The blond asked flatly.  
"Nah. There'll be no end to it." Akaashi replied.  
"Say, four-eyes." The owl captain was then beaming at Tsukishima as he seemed to get back on track with what was going on.  
"It's Tsukishima."  
"Say, Tsukishima-kun....is volleyball fun?" Bokuto asked and I finally managed to stop my quiet laughter.  
"No, not really...." The blond replied after thinking about it.  
"Maybe that's because you suck. I'm a third-year and I've been to nationals, and I'm better than you. Like, way better." He put one hand on his hip while holding up the peace sign with the other.  
"You don't have to tell me that."  
"But I only recently started thinking that volleyball was fun. Ever since my straight became usable in matches. Because my cross hits that I was really good at kept getting blocked, I got frustrated and practiced the Hell out of straights." He then crossed his arms as he continued to talk. "At the next tournament, the same blockers couldn't touch it. I got right past them. Just that one shot made me feel like my time had finally come." Bokuto raised a fist as he was talking to add emphasis before he threw his head back to laugh.  
But when the owl captain smirked while seriously looking at the middle blocker, I felt my spine go straight since the usually goofy guy was giving off some seriously predatorial vibes. Tsukishima seemed to feel it too, and took a whole step back.  
"It all depends on if you have that moment or not. It doesn't really matter what happens in the future, or if you can win your next match. The joy you feel beating the guy in front of you, and when you're able to pull out 120% of your potential, is everything." Bokuto's golden eyes looked dangerous as he spoke, resembling an owl even more since they were birds of prey. Who knew the guy could look so....intimidating?  
"Well, at least that's how it is for me," The captain's fierce expression calmed. "and it doesn't mean that applies to everyone." Bokuto stated while waving a hand. "I don't really understand why you say it's _'just a club'_ , but I don't think you're wrong." He placed his hands on his hips. "But once that moment arrives for you, that's the moment you'll be hooked on volleyball." He pointed at the blond and I smirked. "All right. I answered your question, now help with blocking." The owl captain clapped his hands together, suddenly standing behind the middle blocker.  
"All right, now. Come on, hurry it up." Kuroo added as the captains both pushed Tsukishima towards the net.  
"Wait, what?" The blond visibly tensed up.  
"Motivating, Bakato." I popped off, sliding the net on the doors to the side to step into the gym. His head whipped around to look at me and Tsukishima glanced over his shoulder with a shocked expression since I had talked.  
"You heard all that?" Giving a quick nod, I watched as he held his chin and put his back to me. "I was cool, right?" I gave a thumbs up when he glanced back at me for an answer. Standing tall with his fists on his hips, he puffed out his chest proudly. "Hear that, Kuroo? Hawk Blood said I was motivating _and_ cool."  
"Hm, I didn't really hear her say anything like that." The Nekoma captain smirked while swinging an arm over my shoulders. "What about you, Tsukishima? You _hear_ her _say_ that?" The Karasuno player smirked, crossing his arms as he raised his eyebrows.  
"No, I didn't." He agreed. "The Lazy Queen only said, _'Motivating, Bakato.'_ So, she didn't really say anything."  
"But....but.... Akaashi!" Bokuto whined, turning to his setter, hoping he'd back him up.  
"Aren't we going to practice?" The messy haired male said, blankly looking to his captain.  
"Come on, that's what you meant, right? Hawk Blood?" The owl looking male then turned towards me, his shoulders slumped as his previous bubble of pride had been popped. Crossing my arms, Kuroo looked down at me while raising a brow.  
"Practice." Was all I said and Bokuto groaned while walking over to the net.  
"Oho, so you'll talk to Bokuto, but not us?" Kuroo smirked again, letting his arm drop from my shoulders as I shrugged.  
"Just happens." I stated then turned on my heel to leave.  
"Wait, you're not gonna stay and watch?" Looking over my shoulder at the owl captain, he looked a little upset while Akaashi picked up a ball. As an answer, I gave a small wave as I smiled and his ears went red like last time. Tsukishima visibly froze, only ever seeing either nothing or boredom on my face before now. Leaving, I put the net back behind me on the door to keep balls from flying out of the gym.

~

For some reason, I woke up early the next day. I didn't have a bad dream, and I was certain I had slept fine, but whatever the reason was, I was up before half of the managers. Sitting up, I scratched the back of my head and looked around. Seeing some of the futons already folded up while others had giant lumps in them, I decided to go ahead and get up. I honestly doubted I'd be able to go back to sleep....  
As I was getting dressed, I randomly grabbed one of my loose tank tops that had the puns and pulled on a pair of denim shorts. Tying the Karasuno jacket around my waist, I yawned while lumbering out of the classroom used as a bedroom for the managers. Heading outside, I stood up completely straight and looked around as I heard a dog viciously barking.  
Finding it, I saw a large mutt snapping it's jaws while jumping at one of the branches in a tree. My gaze drifted up higher, catching sight of a black tail that was puffed up beyond belief as I heard hissing. _'Isn't that a sight....dog chasing a cat up a tree.'_ Sighing, I began to walk over to get the cat down and get rid of the dog, but my calm approach was broken when the cat began to slip from the branch.  
Pulling my hands from my pockets, my tennis shoes kicked off of the ground, throwing up dust as I ran. Jumping over the dog as it was snarling and barking, placing my left foot onto the trunk of the tree. Jumping again while using the tree as a boost, I was able to catch the feline as it was falling and held it to my chest as I fell. Crashing into a bunch of bushes, I heard the dog coming, still keen on getting the cat.  
The cat clung to me, completely terrified as its claws dug into my chest while I scrambled to my feet. The bushes rustled and leaves and twigs were breaking off while I made eye contact with the brindle colored mutt. Glaring, I pulled back my top lip in a snarl, causing the canine to slide to a halt. Taking a step forward, I growled dangerously and the dog bolted, tucking its tail between its legs as it yelped.  
Sighing again, I dropped the mean look on my face and climbed out of the bushes. When I tried to get the cat off of me, I clenched my jaw from the pain-the cat's claws were in pretty deep....  
"Taka no chi!" My head jerked up to see the owl captain running at me, a huge grin on his face. "That was so cool! Where'd you learn to jump like that?!" ' _Oh....he saw all that, did he?'_ Clearing my throat, I looked from him to the cat clinging to my chest.  
"Help." I simply said, and he thankfully got what I meant when he saw the claws. He sucked on his teeth, cringing as he stepped closer.  
"Doesn't that hurt? Hold on, I'll get it." Bokuto grabbed the cat, trying to pull it off, but he only made it cling to me even harder than before. Grunting as my nose scrunched up, I bit my tongue. "Oh, sorry!" He pulled back his hands, acting as if he might break something. Taking in a deep breath, I sighed through my nose and grabbed the back of the cat's neck, causing it to reflexively freeze.  
"Gentle." Looking up at the taller male, he nodded and carefully grabbed one of the feline's paws. His brows furrowed as he stuck out his tongue while trying to concentrate, slowly pulling the cat's claws out. Clenching my jaw from the stinging pain, I let out the breath I had been holding when one paw was off of me. His attention then went to the other one and to ignore the claws being pulled out of my skin, I stared straight ahead-which happened to be nothing but Bokuto's hair filling up my field of vision.  
"Almost got it." The owl captain stated as I imagined a tiny owl's nest in his hair. Apparently, the more my mind wondered, the less likely I was to notice the stinging from the feline's nails literally digging under my skin. The little owls then began to bounce around, going _'Hey, hey, hey! Akaashi!'_ while tossing around a volleyball. Yeah, killer imagination, right? "And it's off!" Bokuto grinned, taking the cat from my hands while the back feet were clinging to my shirt. Simply brushing the last two paws off, the owl captain put the cat down and it raced away.  
"Ah, you're bleeding! Come on, I think Akaashi knows where the nurse's office is here!" The owl captain grabbed my wrist and began to drag me behind him as he ran. "AAkaaaashiiiii!" He shouted, barreling into a random gym. "Where's the nurse's office?!" The black haired male raised his brow at his captain, but then looked at me and his eyes went wide.  
"The nurses aren't here, Bakuto-san, you need a first-aid kit!" The setter then began to rush around, looking for the first-aid while Bakuto was beginning to panic.  
"Hurry, Akaashi! Before she bleeds to death!"  
"She's not going to bleed to death! It's not coming out that badly!" His friend shouted back, rushing over with the first-aid in his hands. _'You two are overreacting....'_ I mentally chuckled as the two made me sit down. Bokuto took the kit from Akaashi and flipped it open.  
"Go get a Karasuno and let them know Takachi was attacked by a big cat!" The owl captain pointed towards the exit and the black haired male ran out to find the nearest person from Karasuno. "Okay, if anything hurts, tell me!" Bokuto gave me a serious look before he dug into the first-aid kit to pull out some cotton and peroxide. My hands twitched from the stinging of the peroxide as he cleaned the blood from the ten holes in my chest.  
He had to pull the front of my shirt down slightly to get all of the blood, then set to work on putting the antiseptic over the wounds. He was surprising quite and actually seemed to know what the Hell he was doing as he dug through the first-aid kit. The owl captain, once he was satisfied with his work, pulled out a box of band-aids and began to stick them onto my chest.  
"There! Patient is saved!" He threw his arms out like a baseball ump calling a player _'safe'_.  
"TAKACHI-SAN!" A girl shouted, sliding to a stop as she ran into the gym with Akaashi right behind her. "Oh, my god! Are you okay?!" Yachi was wide eyed and wildly looking me over. Giving a deadpanned expression, I simply pointed to my shirt, making her read it. _'I don't give a hoot!'_ It said, having a little screech owl right below it. "T-Takachi-san, are you making a joke?" Yachi questioned, looking utterly confused.  
"Bwa-hahaha!" Bokuto laughed, his head falling back as he also read it. He also seemed less tense since I was acting like I normally would instead of like I had just had to have a cat pried off of me. "Wait, wait!" The owl captain than reached up and took the pen stuck to the clipboard the Karasuno manager had. Yachi and Akaashi silently watched as he pulled the cap off and leaned towards me.  
The golden eyed male stuck out his tongue as he was still on his knees between my legs. The dork began to write something on the band-aids, absent-mindedly grabbing one of my hips as he tried to write evenly. Glancing down, I sighed through my nose, guessing what he was writing after he had the _'L'_ on the third band-aid. Despite me trying to focus on what it was he was doing, my attention kept slipping back to the large hand on my hip. It was an odd sensation to have someone else's hand there, especially one that was so warm.  
"Ta-da!" Bokuto finally leaned back, tossing the pen back to Yachi as he admired his work. Over the band-aids, he had written, _'Owls Rule!'_ to either go along with the shirt or his odd connection to the feathered raptors. As he was looking, though, his huge grin faltered for a second as the tips of his ears began to turn red.  
"T-Takachi-san...." Yachi gestured towards me as her cheeks turned beat red while she looked away. "P-Please pull up y-your shirt." Looking back to my chest, I saw that my shirt had gone far enough down that the top of my bra was showing. I simply put a hand on Bakuto's face, pushing him back while covering his eyes as I fixed my shirt.  
"S-sorry! I-I didn't mean to-!" The owl captain began to wave his hands around while I rose to my feet.  
"I know." I stated, cutting him off while letting his face go. There was a faint pink color in his cheeks as he now looked up at me. To make him feel better, I gestured to the _'I don't give a hoot!'_ again.  
"You do talk!" Yachi gasped, taking a step back while raising her hands. Bokuto turned his attention to the short first year and his face lit up.  
"That's not all she can do!" The owl captain was suddenly on his feet and in front of the manager. "She can also smile and call names and just now she did this crazy jump and...." Then, Bokuto vividly went on to describe what he saw happen that lead to the band-aids.


	9. Barbecue

"Meaty meat, meat, meaty meat!" I heard chanting as I looked up from my manga and saw some of the Karasuno boys doing a weird dance while drooling and looking rather excited.

"Put 'em together, you get meat and meat!"

"Meaty meat, meat!"

"Hooray for meat! Energy times a hundred! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Meat is god! Meat is god!"

"Teacher....did you not tell them about the barbecue?" Keishin asked and I shot off the bench.

"It just says 'meal' on the schedule."

"Well, I guess it all worked out in the end." Keishin flinched when he turned back and saw me staring down at him with an intense gaze. "....Takachi, you have to wait for it like everyone else."

"Tch." I made a face and he looked shocked while covering his heart with a hand.

"Don't you give me that attitude!" Plopping back down onto the bench, I picked my manga back up to read some more.

~

"Let's play!" The players on the court roared in front of us and it was Karasuno vs. Fukurodani again. The first few points went rather quickly, mostly to Fukurodani to no surprise. Between what I saw myself and Bokuto's bragging, his team had the most wins this entire training camp.

"All right!" Bokuto shouted before spinning on his heel. "Did you see that, Takachi?! Hey, did you see my awesome cut shot right now?" He called from across the court while bouncing around. I gave a short nod and the smallest of claps to answer him and Bokuto puffed out his chest while putting his hands on his hips. "It was pure luck, though!" He laughed.

"Takachi, you traitor! Don't support the enemy!" Hinata made a face while pointing to the opposing side of the court.

"Fukurodani's Bokuto is a real puzzle. Even when he's your opponent, you kind of want to cheer for him. Though, that might be because I think he's a player on a completely different level."

"True...." Keishin replied. "He might just be a player who lifts the spirits of both his teammates and his opponents." He then nudged my arm with his elbow while grinning. "What do you think, Cuz?"

"Nice." I mumbled while watching the volleyball go back and forth over the net until Hinata jumped for a spike but only lightly hit it over the two taller boys trying to block him.

"Hinata just....did a feint?!" Keishin sounded shocked as everyone on the court froze to watch the ball bounce away.

"A feint?!" Bokuto yelled in shock and awe.

"You're the one that taught it to him." Akaashi popped off with irritation.

"They all seem to be enjoying themselves. I wonder if it's because of Bokuto's influence." The dark haired teacher was smiling on the other side of Keishin before going wide-eyed. "Wow, a dump! Kageyama's doing very well! He hasn't missed a jump serve today, either."

"Yeah, Kageyama today is like....calm and collected. He gives you the same uneasy feeling as the calm before a storm." My cousin stated and I glanced to the score board to see that Karasuno was actually keeping up with Fukurodani despite having the most losses among the teams. It was as if all their hard work and separate training was finally coming together and paying off.

There was so much happy shouting and cheering from the court and beside me and it was clear this side of the gym was the most rambunctious. Even so....it was actually kind of fun to watch. They were just having a good time, figuring things out and showing off what they'd learned over the week of being here.

However, Karasuno still lost with 23-25, but they definitely didn't let Fukurodani win easily.

~

"Ahem. Well done on the week-long training camp, everyone. Nothing puts a smile on your face more than filling your stomach with good food!" The Nekoma coach stated while all the players were drooling and holding their chopsticks with anticipation. "Eat all the meat you can."

"Thanks for the food!" They yelled but I was already piling my plate from a grill in the farthest corner. A third of the plate was piled with vegetables while the rest was purely meat. It was while I was stuffing my mouth that I happened to glance up and see Yachi surrounded by giants and looking terrified.

Swallowing, I walked over right into the middle of the circle and the girl looked relieved.

"Takachi...." She was shivering while clinging to her empty plate, and I slid what was left of mine onto hers. Taking the cup of tea being offered by one of the giants, I placed it into her other hand and gently lead her towards the seats the other managers were.

"Be sure to stay hydrated!" One of the giants called after us and Yachi was thanking me over and over again.

With my plate now empty with me giving it away and my stomach not full, I turned back to the jungle of players and heard wild laughter. Spotting Hinata, Kuroo, Tsukishima, Lev, and Bokuto all around two grills, they were completely distracted by conversation. Taking my chance, I silently swooped in and stole food right off of their grills without them even knowing until Kuroo spotted me.

"Takachi!" I slowly looked over my shoulder while sliding another piece of meat onto my plate.

"Takachi! You gotta share!" Hinata whined.

"Boo." I replied and started shoveling the barbecue into my mouth.

"Gah!"

"Oh, that's got to be my favorite of your shirt's by far." Kuroo chuckled while putting more meat onto the grill to replace what I had stolen. Today, my shirt had a cat knocking over a cup while saying 'IT'S ON PURRPOSE'.

"Ah, taka no chi, you can't eat it all!" Bokuto waved his plate at me and I ignored him while going around the grill.

"Would you like some onigiri?" Looking to the side, I saw Lev smiling down at me while offering some. I gave a small nod and took one.

"How are you eating that much, you sat on a bench the whole time?" Tsukishima popped off and Bokuto clacked his chopsticks together.

"Brain power, Tsukki. Brain power!" He explained.

"Yeah, Tsukki, brain power." Hinata added in. "She reads so much, she's probably a genius!"

"She reads _manga_." The blond looked down at the shorter boy and I was already almost done with the onigiri since they were talking away.

"It's fine, we've got plenty here." Lev said with his cheeks full and accidentally bumped into the table. A cup near the edge fell and on a reflex my hand shot out to catch it and I twisted the cup to catch the spilled contents before it hit the ground. Sniffing the contents, I discovered it was regular tea and downed it.

It had gone rather quiet, so I glanced back to the boys and saw them all frozen and staring right at me with disbelief.

"What the Hell was _that_?!" Tsukishima rose his voice and Hinata and Bokuto gained expressions of pure awe.

"How did you go that fast?!" Hinata practically had stars in his eyes.

"You just went _**woosh**_!" Bokuto shot out his hand quickly to try and recreate what I had done.

"For someone so lazy, you've really got some fast reflexes...." Kuroo said lowly as I sat the now empty cup onto the table.

~

Sitting on a hill while watching everyone else calmly talk to each other and some eating watermelon, I let out a slow breath through my nose. I didn't want this to end.

I didn't want to go home when my parents finished their cruise, I was actually enjoying being here. Karasuno was fun, hanging out with these teams was fun, and being around Bokuto was fun. It was getting late and pretty soon we'd have to be heading back since today had been the last day of the week long training camp.

"Hey, Takachi." Glancing up, I saw Kuroo looking down at me with his hands on his hips. "Do you have a phone?" I gave a short nod and he crouched in front of me. "Hand it here." Reaching into my pocket, I pulled it out and dropped it into his waiting hand. "You probably won't see any of us for a while, but keep in touch, okay?" Kuroo rose his eyebrows while typing something into my phone. "This is Bokuto's number, and Akaashi's in case Bo loses his phone again."

I slightly quirked up a brow and he softly laughed.

"Don't give me that look. I know you and Bo like talking to each other. You're friends, aren't you?" I nodded and he returned the gesture. "Good, then here you go." Kuroo handed back my phone and stood up. My eyes went from the device to the Nekoma captain.

"....Thanks."

"Aw, don't worry about it!" He grinned and ruffled my hair. I felt the tips of my ears heat up as I looked at the phone in my hands.


	10. Cute Lunchbox

"H-Hinata, are you okay?" Yachi approached the sickly looking boy.

"Yep, I'm fine." He weakly smiled. "I threw up on the way here, so I feel better."

"Of course you'd feel sick after eating all those pork bowls for breakfast." Tsukishima popped off.

"It's normal to eat pork cutlets on game days!"

"And by 'normal', you mean....?"

"You dumbass!" Kageyama yelled. "Hinata, you stupid dumbass!"

"I have that one thing you can drink!" Yachi offered out a pouch to Hinata after digging it out of her bag.

"I-I feel like I'm going to puke, too, after remembering Hinata puking...." Yamaguchi mumbled while covering his mouth.

"Go to the bathroom already!"

"M-My nerves are getting to me, too...." Asahi was getting pale and covered his mouth as well.

"I thought you were busy concentrating, but you were actually trying not to puke?!" Suga questioned.

"Shoyo, is this seriously the second time you threw up on the bus?"

"You were able to actually hold it in until the bus stopped, instead of puking on someone's crotch. You've really grown up, Hinata." Tanaka smiled while placing a hand onto Hinata's shoulder. It seemed nerves were running high for the boys since today they had their first match against Ohgi Minami.

~

Standing next to Yachi while leaning on the railing of the balcony, I glanced down to the court below as the game was about to start.

"Oh? So you came to watch the game, too, Ukai-sensei?" The old man in overalls to my side said my I perked up may head.

"Yeah."

"I guess that is your precious grandson's team."

"That's got nothing to do with it!"

"Ukai? Grandson?" Yachi mumbled and I felt a hand land on my head.

"Takachi! I'm surprised you're actually up here without a book." The geezer laughed while ruffling my hair.

"Phone." I replied and he leaned onto the rail next to me.

"Is Keishin making you watch, then?"

"No." I barely waved my hand to the court. "They're fun."

"Fun?!" He raised his voice. "We'll see about that, now won't we?" I gave a short nod.

"All right!" They shouted below.

"Yay! That was amazing!" Yachi threw up her hands.

"Starting with a no-touch ace."

"Not bad." Grandpa smirked and from the looks of it, having Karasuno practicing against so many powerhouse teams made this regular team look terrible. When it was match point, Ohgi Minami only had 16 points.

For the second set the opposing team was trying harder, but the difference in skill was clear with the 10 point gap. I had to give it to them, though....they didn't give up.

~

After warming up for the second match, Yachi came back up to the balcony and brought me a banana with her. Peeling the fruit, I enjoyed the snack as the game started on the court below.

"A daring, straight, head-to-head competition!"

"Hopefully the ace's first shot will set the mood." Geezer-Ukai stated and honestly I was still trying to wrap my head around how a two meter Titan made it onto the court. Dude was absolutely huge and easily hit over the attempted block from Karasuno.

A time-out came when it was 04-01 on the board with Kakugawa in the lead, and a small crowd was beginning to form behind Yachi and I of other people quietly rooting for Karasuno. After the time-out ended, however, it looked like the tides may turn now that strategies had shifted.

Hinata and Kageyama did one of their freakishly fast quicks and silenced the opposing team while the crowd roared with applause. When set point was reached, Karasuno was 3 points _ahead_ of Kakugawa. Everyone was in good spirits and the comeback was definitely fueling their moods, but on the other team the Titan was clearly getting more and more frustrated until the first set came to an end.

The second set had a bigger point gap at the end of it with Karasuno winning, and the last point Hinata got by hitting the very edge of the blocker's hand to get through.

~

Coming out of the bathroom, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked the message I just received. It was from Bokuto, saying how his game had gone and that his team had won. Walking down the hall towards the exit, I was about to reply to the message until something bumped into my shoulder.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" A guy raised his hands while looking down at me and I only briefly glanced at him before giving a small wave and went to walk away. "Wa-wait!" He quickly got in front of me while smiling. "Yanno, you're actually kind of cute!" He bent down to look me in the eye and grinned. "Yeah, definitely cute."

I went to step around him, but he blocked my way again while still looking at me and placed his hands onto his hips.

"Say, why not let me take you out some time? To _really_ apologize for bumping into you." He chuckled. "You can pick where to, it'll be my treat!" I could feel the hair on the back of my neck standing on end as he kept getting closer into my personal space and kept looking me directly in the eye. "Here, let's exchange numbers, sweetheart-" He took my phone right out of my hands looked at the screen. "Oh? Who's Bo? Is he your little brother?"

Without saying a word, I dropped down while spinning on one foot and kicked out the other, knocking the guy's feet right out from under him. He landed on the floor with a heavy thud, and I caught my phone before it hit the hard ground. Slowly standing back up, I shot a cold glare to the guy on his back.

"Don't take my shit." He looked bewildered and I stepped over him to continue down the hall. Turning the corner, I saw Shimizu and Hinata and the little ball of sunshine ran up to me when he saw that I was there.

"Takachi! You won't believe what just happened! I went back to get my lunchbox and-and-" Hinata glanced from me to his cutely wrapped lunchbox before squawking and trying to hide it. "Look, the wrap is my little sister's, okay?! I-It's _not_ mine!"


	11. Johzenji, the Party Team

"So, with prefectural qualifer in October, we'll only be able to go to Kanto two more times, including this trip." Takeda announced. Let's make the best of this chance."

"Right!" The team replied as we stood outside of Nekoma High School. Walking around to the gym, as soon as the team entered there came a familiar yell.

"Hey, Tsukki! Jump block for me! Hey, hey, hey!" Tsukishima just stood in the doorway without saying anything while Kageyama and Hinata walked right past him.

"This chapter is titled, _'Boku Gets Rejected by a Student From Another School.'_ "

"Yes. Thanks for working with me." Tsukishima softly said while bowing and I watched the Fukurodani player's faces show their shock while stepping into the gym.

"What?!"

"Why are you so surprised when you're the one who asked him?" Akaashi questioned.

"Wa! Taka no chi, you came, too?!" Bokuto perked up when he saw me and I nodded slightly. "Are you gonna watch us?" He started bobbing around and I tried to stealthily hide the manga in my hand behind my back. "I see that! You were going to read, weren't you?!"

Turning away, I heard him give a dejected whine and felt a very small smile twitch at the corners of my mouth. Going over to the windows by the court, I leaned against the wall and slid down to sit on the floor. Setting the manga down beside my, I watched the boys practice.

Lev was doing much better than before since he was able to keep up to a degree rather being left in a puddle of sweat on the ground now. Hinata and Kageyama's weird spikes and quicks worked most of the time, but not all of the time, and Bokuto was as energetic as ever.

~

"Taka no chi!" The owl faced captain called out while waving as he walked over. He had a plate in his other hand and plopped down beside me in the grass. "The managers brought some sweet onigiri. I'm not sure which is which, but some have plum filling, anko, and cherry." Bokuto explained while grabbing one from the plate.

I hummed and picked one up and bit into it. Plum flavoring and sweet rice coated my tongue as I sat criss-cross.

"I got anko, how about you?" Bokuto looked to me and I showed him the inside of the rice ball.

"Plum." Taking another bite, I glanced around. "Where's Akaashi?" Bokuto looked at me, then over his shoulder.

"I think he's still inside with everybody else. Why? Did you need to tell him something?"

"No." I shook my head. "He's just usually with you." Speaking lowly, I grabbed another rice ball and got cherry filling this time around.

"So, what did you think of our playing today?" He asked with excited eyes.

"Good." He gave a prideful laugh and smiled.

"We've been practicing a lot! How were my spikes? Huh? They were cool, right?"

"Yes, Bakato." Chuckling, I watched him get a big grin on his face. He was such an animated person....it was kind of endearing.

"Oh, right! Takachi," Bokuto placed his free hand into the grass while facing me more. "I know I'm from an opposing team, but....you'll wish me- the team- good luck, too, right?" Pausing, I tilted my head a bit before nodding. "Sweet!"

"Dork."

"Wha- I am not!"

"Mm-hm."

"Gah!" He acted like he had been hit and I chuckled again.

"....Good luck, Bokato."

"Thank you!" He gave a closed eye smile while raising a fist and the tips of ears were turning pink. "I'll be the best spiker there!" Bokato picked up another rice ball and stuffed his cheeks with it. "Hey, since you're not a manager, how come you keep coming to these practices?"

"So my cousin can keep an eye on me."

"Why?"

"....He doesn't like leaving me all alone at home."

"Oh. Makes sense. I don't like being left all alone either. But I almost always got my team with me, so it doesn't really happen!" He laughed.

~

"We're here!" Hinata said with awe. "Back at the Sendai Municipal Gymnasium again! We're gonna get our revenge!" He took in a deep breath before racing for the front door to the building.

"Don't you dare false start, you dumbass!" Kageyama roared while chasing after him.

"It's like Hinata and Kageyama live on spinal reflex alone." Yamaguchi mumbled.

"They're like insects." Tsukishima popped off, making Tanaka and Nishinoya snicker.

"Glasses-chan! Be sure to tell me your number today!" A boy waved while holding Hinata's head and waving. Shimizu turned away and the over protective duo were suddenly on fire and running for the guy yelling at Shimizu.

"Stop it! Ugh.... I'm so sorry about that!" A girl apologized, stopping Tanaka and Nishinoya right in their tracks. Blinking, I wasn't sure I was seeing what I was actually seeing because it _looked_ like the two of them had stopped *midair*.

~

Sitting in the stands with my phone in my hands, I was absentmindedly playing a game while Karasuno and Johzenji were warming up on the court below. The Johzenji side of the stands were boisterous with chanting and cheers while Karasuno's side only had a few people and Yachi softly yelling her support.

When the game started, it was quick to become clear that Johzenji may be a difficult team to defeat with thier mobility and lighthearted 'party' demeanor about the game.

"Kageyama! Nice block!" Yachi called.

"That wasn't a block....that was his face."

"Kageyama, don't die!" I could hear Hinata scream from the court as the setter had a bloody nose. A time-out was called for to take care of Kageyama and switch him out and shortly after Hinata was switched out as well. Suga and Enoshita made a pretty good pair in Kageyama and Hinata's place, getting the team to set point.

Karasuno did a synchronized play and right after it looked like Johzenji was copying the play, but the spiker failed to make contact with the ball as it went just over his hand. The first set ended with Karasuno winning, and when the second set started Hinata and Kageyama were back on the court.

Throughout the game there was only a few points difference, but as the end of the second set came closer, Johzenji began to get more focused. However, it seemed most of their problems came from teammates running into each other and a lack of coherent communication.

Johzenji couldn't block Hinata's spikes, but when they finally stopped trying, they received it instead. Hinata then had to pull out his other tricks to score points with his spikes, and Johzenji tried to make a comeback by doing another synchronized attack at match point. The second time looked like they'd successfully do it, the spiker made contact with the ball, and....it went just out of bounds.

~

"You did it!" Yachi cheered as I followed behind her in the hall.

"Yay!" Tanaka and Nishinoya came flying at her with raised hands for high-fives and the shorter girl took a stance like she was more prepared to be fought than celebrate.

"Eekyay?!" She screeched and on a reflex I pulled her behind me by the back of her jacket. Tanaka and Nishinoya were caught by their shirt collars before they landed.

"You both doing a jumping high-five at her is a bit much."

"R-Right." They both nodded before they were let down and high-fived Yachi one at a time.

"Yay! Yay! Yay!"

~

"Congratulations on completing the first day." Takeda smiled.

"Thank you!"

"Unlike our other opponents, Wakutani South has third-years left on the team, just like us. They are a well-rounded team. Their defense and tenacity are close to Nekoma's." Keishin explained. "Don't lose your temper just because you can't get your attack in. Especially the hyperactive ones and simpletons." He glanced to Hinata, Kageyama, Tanaka, and Nishinoya.

"It'll be fine. We'll follow up on them." Daichi grinned.

"Th-Thank you very much."

"Yeah, leave it to me."

"All right. We're going to make it through tomorrow, too." Daichi raised his fist for emphasis as he had a determined look on his face.


End file.
